


worn-wood bedframes & ill-timed confessions

by bellowbacks



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child - Thorne & Rowling
Genre: First Kiss, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-12
Updated: 2019-03-12
Packaged: 2019-11-15 22:11:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,626
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18081875
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bellowbacks/pseuds/bellowbacks
Summary: “Scor,” Albus said, taking off his robe and tossing it on the bed, “Why haven’t you been out with anyone since Valentine’s of fifth year?”





	worn-wood bedframes & ill-timed confessions

“Scor,” Albus said, taking off his robe and tossing it on the bed, “Why haven’t you been out with anyone since Valentine’s of fifth year?”

Scorpius, who had been in the middle of untying his shoes, almost slid off the edge of his own bed. “Uh, why do you ask?” he said and carefully set his shoes side by side next to his bedside table. He then turned away from Albus and fumbled to unbutton his robes. He did Not want to think about the true reason he didn’t date around, not right now. 

Albus shrugged and threw himself down onto his bed, just a few feet from Scorpius’ own. “I’m just wondering. I mean, Rose and you have gotten closer, and that girl Pamela, the Hufflepuff? She asked you out a few weeks ago,” Albus said and crossed his ankles, folding his hands behind his head.

Scorpius hung his robes on the hook beside his bed. Realizing he had nothing else to do to waste time before having this conversation, he sat down on the mattress and looked at his best friend.

“I dunno, I’m just not interested in them, I guess,” Scorpius said and grabbed his potions book off his bedside table. Hopefully this’ll give Albus the idea that maybe, just maybe, this isn’t the right conversation for right now.

“I mean,” Albus started again, and Scorpius flicked his gaze back over to his friend habitually, albeit reluctantly. “You’re sort of a catch, Scor.”

Scorpius’ stomach flipped in his abdomen and he clutched the book tighter. “Mm?” he replied, hoping it didn’t betray his deep seated interest in what Albus had to say about him.

“Yea. I mean, you’re super smart, you’re hilarious, you’re like the kindest bloke I’ve ever met, you’d be a stellar boyfriend,” Albus said with a little grin. “Even better than I’d be, I reckon, but way too soft.”

Scorpius felt his face turn pink.

“Any girl would be lucky to have you,” Albus said with a wink, and then Scorpius felt his heart drop as he remembered his secret.

“That’s the problem,” he blurted out, dropping his book to his sweater-covered chest and bringing his hands together to pick at his cuticles, just like his dad always did.

Albus frowned. “What do you mean?”

Scorpius stood up, letting his book fall to the floor beside his bed. He needed to pace, so he took the same steps he tended to, following the slightly lighter wood his shoes and socks and bare, anxious feet have worn into the floor over the nearly six years he's been here.

"Al," Scorpius said, for once in his life, almost lost for words. "I, err," he said and spared one more glance at his friend, who had sat up and had his head cocked to the side. "I don't think I want to date... girls."

Albus frowned for a second, and then realization shone on his face. "Oh, that's fine. I mean there's Oliver and Charles? They're both into blokes, do either of them suit your fancy?" he said and peeled his socks off casually, as if Scorpius hadn't just dropped his second deepest secret on him.

Scorpius is silent for a second, his jaw hanging slightly open, and then he has the sense to shake his head. "Er, no, Al, they don't, not really," he said. The back of his neck felt red hot and his hands couldn't move fast enough against each other.

Albus spread his legs apart and leaned back against his headboard again, his green sweater pulled tight against his chest. "Aren't your type? What's your type then, Scor? You into big & tall?" he asked, a teasing smile playing at his lips. 

Scorpius slowly sat back down on his bed and slowly ran his hand through his shaggy hair. "Oh, er," he said, "Bigger than me, probably." It felt surreal that this conversation, painfully honest and laid bare, was actually happening with anybody other than his dad. 

"You're like twig-thin, Scorpius! Every bloke is bigger than you!" Albus laughed, and Scorpius felt the laugh reverberate through his ribs and turn his heart warm.

"Anyways," he said, giving Albus a pointed Malfoy look made all the less pointed by his floppy hair and quirked smile, "Bigger than me, probably dark hair because I'm so blonde it would look funny if he was also blonde."

"Okay, okay, so that rules out Charles and Ollie, yea," Albus replied and furrowed his brow. "What about that sixth year Gryffindor? I don't know his name, but he's gay, right?"

Scorpius' belly twisted. "I dunno, Al. I don't wanna date him, or either of those other guys," he said and pulled his knees to his chest.

Albus frowned. "Do you even want to date anybody? You'd think, you love romance so much you'd be all over it," he said and raised his eyebrows. He seemed worried, but there was an undercurrent of some other, unrecognizable emotion that worried Scorpius.

"Not with them," Scorpius said immediately. "I want it with somebody I care for." He swallowed the lump in his throat and turned away from Albus, pulling off his sweater to put on a shirt to sleep in. Albus was quiet as he did so, so Scorpius put on his green-plaid pajama pants as well and settled down under his similarly-colored covers.

"I don't either," Albus said finally. Scorpius looked over at him in the dimming candlelight, and he hadn't moved.

"Hm?" Scorpius hummed and looked over at him across the small room.

"I don't either, Scor. I want to do all the stuff I've done with Poppy, or with Jane, I want to really love someone and do it with them," Albus said. He was talking slowly and staring at his bedspread, seemingly further drowning in his own thoughts than swimming in the conversation he held with Scorpius.

Scorpius sat up and pulled his covers up over his chest. "Yeah? Didn't peg you for a sap, Al."

A few seconds passed in silence, filled only with the distant murmur of voices and the two boys’ breathing. 

"Scor," Albus replied, quiet now.

"You okay?" Scorpius asked, then Albus got out of bed, an unreadable expression on his face, and walked towards Scorpius' bed. Without a word, he sat down on the bedspread beside where Scorpius was sitting.

Albus slowly reached out and touched Scorpius' cheek, brushing the slightly too long, blonde hair behind his ear. Scorpius' heart threatened to leap out through his throat, but he leaned into the touch.

"Al," he whispered, and Albus' eyes traced his cheekbones and dragged over his lips.

"Is this okay?" Albus asked, and Scorpius nodded so hard he smacked his forehead right into Albus' nose.

There was a loud CRACK and Albus jerked away, blood pouring down his face and onto the green covers over Scorpius' legs.

"Bloody hell," Scorpius gasped and scrabbled for his wand. "Episkey," he quickly cast on Albus' nose, reaching out to take his face in his hands. "I'm so sorry, hang on," he stammered and climbed out of bed to grab the towel hanging over the heater in the center of the room.

Albus groaned and coughed, spitting some more blood onto the floor, and Scorpius rushed towards him and pressed the towel to his face, soaking up the blood and wiping it from his lips.

"I'm so sorry Al," Scorpius managed. His hands shook as he wiped the excess blood dripping from Albus' nose, and then he dropped the towel down to his side.

"Scorpius, I know I'm an asshole sometimes and I don't do my homework on time every time and I'm all bloody now and we've been through a lot and I really want to kiss you," Albus said, all in one sticky breath, and he pushed forward and touched Scorpius' neck again with hot fingers.

Scorpius' mouth fell open and he flicked his eyes from Albus' mouth to his eyes. "Wh- yes? What? Yes," he managed before Albus was leaning forward and pressing their lips together.

There was no big fireworks moment, no light behind anybody's eyes, but Scorpius did feel a distinct sense of arriving at home, finally, as Albus' fingers stroked gently at the floppy bangs hanging in front of his ears.

They pulled away after a moment, but Albus didn't let go, and he brushed his finger over Scorpius' cheek.

"Al, if we're going to do this, I'm not going to half ass it, and I won't be a secret," Scorpius blurted almost immediately, the hundreds of times he had imagined confessing filed in the back of his brain finally coming in handy.

Albus laughed and leaned in to kiss Scorpius again. "Scor, I want to show you off to the whole damn school, I always have," he said with a wide grin after he pulled away, not leaving any more than a few inches between their bodies.

Scorpius finally let himself smile, giggling giddily, and he reached up to touch Albus' cheek. "Do you want to go to Madam Puddifoot's with me next week for Valentine's day?" he said, and Albus' face, still tinted copper with blood, split in a huge smile.

"Yeah, Scor, I do," he grinned and leaned in to hug his friend close.

"I thought we didn't hug," Scorpius snickered and pressed his cheek into Albus' shoulder, smelling his familiar deodorant and the soil still clinging to his pants from their Herbology class earlier.

"Shut up, you," Albus replied, muffled by Scorpius' shoulder. "Let me be vulnerable for the six minutes I'll knowingly allow myself to be."

Scorpius snorted and pulled Albus closer, his embrace warmer than his bed, the heater, and even Incendio could ever be. It felt right, and Scorpius was happy.


End file.
